Posted: | March 23, 2022 10:04 AM |
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From: | Senator Doug Mastriano and Sen. Devlin J. Robinson |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Establishment of the “Law Enforcement Recovery Grant Program” |
In the near future, we will introduce legislation that allocates $100 million in American Rescue Plan funds to create the “Law Enforcement Recovery Grant Program.” COVID-19 and the ensuing shutdowns had effects that reverberated across all sectors of our society. Pennsylvania’s law enforcement agencies were certainly not immune to these difficulties and are confronting a significant crisis when it comes to the recruitment and retention of new officers. Agencies in urban, suburban, and rural parts of Pennsylvania currently face significant officer vacancies that are projected to continue to worsen with increasing retirements and a tight labor market in the wake of the pandemic. Compounding the issue of recruitment and retention is the rise in violent crime in Pennsylvania. According to the latest FBI crime statistics, Pennsylvania has had the third highest increase in violent crimes in the entire nation since 2019. In addition to the uptick in violent crime, drug trafficking has accelerated, and the proliferation of deadly drugs such as fentanyl continue to overwhelm communities. For these reasons, we are proposing the establishment of the “Law Enforcement Recovery Grant Program” to ensure our police departments have the resources to properly serve our communities and ultimately save lives. Law enforcement agencies will have the opportunity to apply for grant funding to address the following critical needs:
Please consider joining us in co-sponsoring this legislation to safeguard our communities and support out police. |
Introduced as SB1193